Side note: The伪装 heavy cruiser ≪Hermes≫ is bored.
The SU Space Force declared the extermination of pirates.
At the subsequent fleet review, intended to demonstrate authority, the declaration was disrupted by pirate interference.
The SU Space Force was forced to admit failure in the Orion Arm, prompting outrage among government officials and high-ranking Space Force officers.
"All pirates must be eradicated. Otherwise, our authority cannot be restored!"
In response to this fury, the SU Space Force issued a general order to eliminate pirates.
First, pirate bases near Earth in the Sol system were destroyed by a large fleet, including battleships.
However, pirates are generally quick to flee.
One pirate base was destroyed, and a pursuit engagement followed, but a significant number of pirates escaped.
Those that fled either moved to another pirate base or survived by attacking cargo ships and seizing supplies.
To eliminate these pirates, orders were sent to naval vessels.
The disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* was also ordered to hunt down pirates surviving on their own, and began navigating through space.
The Captain of the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* led three orbit patrol cruisers disguised as merchant ships and ten sky sweepers disguised as mercenary vessels, advancing without distinction through the Star Arm Nebula (Main Route) and the Interstellar Side Route (Sub Route), searching for pirates.
In fact, the vessel had engaged pirates several times since receiving the order, and combat damage had accumulated on the exterior panels installed for disguise.
Whether perceived as an easy target due to its worn appearance or driven by desperation after their base had been destroyed, pirates attacked again.
"Captain! Communication signal from a vessel resembling a pirate ship!"
"Ah—leave it disconnected. Confirm the firing, then delegate the Sky Sweeper response."
The Captain of the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* issued the order with a careless tone.
The lack of enthusiasm was understandable.
The order given to the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* had no set expiration.
Thus, the fleet—including the *Hermes*—must continue the mission until the pirates in the Orion Arm were eradicated.
The Captain of the *Hermes* had grown weary of this endless directive.
Additionally, another reason existed for the lack of motivation.
It was the weakness of the pirates approaching.
Pirates operating near Sol System Earth had lived through backdoor deals with the SU government and the Space Fleet. They had strictly maintained equipment and operations just below the threshold that would draw official scrutiny.
As a result, the weapons aboard these pirates' ships were weak—only capable of threatening merchant vessels.
Moreover, having been overlooked by the Space Fleet through these backdoor arrangements, their tactics when attacking merchant vessels lacked refinement.
In short, their equipment and tactics were both inadequate. There was no reason for the armor and firepower of the fake heavy cruiser, the Sky Sweeper, to struggle.
Indeed, pirates who had mistaken the vessel for a merchant convoy were shattered in moments by ten disguised Sky Sweepers.
(Target pirates caught. Easy victory. That is good…)
The Captain of the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* feels boredom fill the chest.
Drifting through the vast cosmos, eliminating pirates upon discovery, moving on to the next.
A task without difficulty is now equivalent to simple labor.
Even after issuing a casual order resembling dereliction of duty, the pirates are dealt with without issue. There is no challenge left to find motivation in.
The Captain of the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* has received orders from the upper command of the space fleet to eliminate pirates across the entire domain. To date, only a few percent of the total area has been covered.
Ahead lies the prospect of continuing the same actions, now requiring hundreds of times the previous duration.
Considering the volume of work, enthusiasm cannot rise.
(If only the location were farther from Earth, perhaps slightly more capable pirates would appear...)
The words were spoken in search of stimulation, but the Captain of the disguised heavy cruiser *Hermes* reconsidered. To desire a strong opponent was shameful for a military officer entrusted with the lives of subordinates.
A captain should rejoice not in risking subordinates' lives for personal satisfaction, but in keeping them safe, even if dissatisfaction remains.
The next thought, after recentering, is the rumor of pirates behind the rise of TR.
The current government and the space fleet focus their attention on the new jump drive and the pirates. They neglect vigilance toward TR elements and civilians harboring anti-government sentiment. There appears to be some intention behind this arrangement...
The Captain of a decoy vessel has long maintained a profession always under threat of attack, and is therefore sensitive to signs of danger.
Yet even so, the Captain could not help but suspect the presence of someone who had drawn this current configuration. That was the limit of the Captain’s capacity, however.
(Reporting this suspicion would only result in reprimand—now that the fleet was united in the eradication of pirates, such idle speculation was unwarranted. It was better to continue engaging the pirates without distraction.)
In the S.U. Navy, actions beyond one’s assigned duty were discouraged. Rank was supreme.
Thus, the Captain could not expect the upper command to heed advice from someone assigned to the role of decoy vessel commander—a position considered beneath honor.
The Captain therefore decided to remain silent about what he had observed and focused solely on fulfilling his assigned duty.
No one at that moment understood the consequences of the Captain’s decision—his refusal to offer counsel to the upper command—would later have on events.